THINGS have really changed in Baguio as there is no such thing as permanent in this earth. For one who was born and raised in a place once tagged as city of pines in the early 60s and witnessed many of its transformation from a fog kissed landscape to a bustling concrete jungle, I look back with mixed emotions especially now that I often walk side-by-side with my grandson Juaquin Inigo whom we call Akiboy.
Just this weekend, Akiboy and I joined the initial treks of the Baguio Leisure Walks Series initiated by Michelle Garcia, a returning young professional who has observed and studied the city’s problem on urban mobility and she is now promoting sustainable use of public spaces in Baguio. It wasn’t really long that Michelle left the city for her professional growth outside the shores but her love and passion for Baguio as a healthy place to live keeps her coming back.
We started our walk from the Pink Sisters Convent at Yanco Road and together with my four-year-old grandson, Michelle and Nerisse Villanueva, we followed Leonard Wood Road all the way to the Reflection Lake or Mansion Mirror fronting the Mansion. It took us about thirty minutes because Akiboy begged to rest when we reached the Botanical Garden.
Michelle made some digital annotated recordings as we walk and I noticed her covering her nose with a piece of cloth especially along the crossroads and finally in front of the Presidential Mansion where cars were positioning to park and dozens of tourists are seen taking selfies.
I just couldn’t imagine the volume of airborne particulates in the air that we inhaled as we pass through the busy street leading to our destination.
There was a time that Baguio hit front pages and health forums because of the measured particulate matter (PM) or suspended particulate matter (SPM) which are microscopic solid or liquid matters suspended in the city’s central business district that was observed to have exceeded the standard measurement in a populated locality.
Akiboy again agreed to join me again the following day which happens to fall on Earth Day and although we missed the leisure walk with Michelle, we spotted several people picking up litters with green eco-bag and black plastic bags.
As we move towards the Melvin Jones football ground, we noticed volunteers with their loot trooping to the grandstand where trash are being collected.
The group we saw are called Baguio Ploggers in their "Let's End Plastic Pollution," program with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Cordillera regional office for a city-wide plogging activity at Burnham Park and its vicinity.
Plogging is a new word that has become a pastime that took off in Sweden where people go for a jog and pick up litter at the same time. It simply means you pick while you jog.
Because Baguio is also a convention destination for conferences, workshops and even religious summits, weekends in the city faces heavier traffic jams as a result of the influx of tourists and people attending functions alike.
My wife and I happened to look for somebody who stayed in a place now called Sitio Bacbacan somewhere between Naguilian Road and Asin Road and it surprised me to see the extent of development in a place that is almost beyond 18 degrees of slope.
Well, we do know how to maximize every space but it really worries me that there might come a time when we no longer have a wide space nor only for our lungs to absorb fresh air but for purposes of disaster mitigation and evacuation purposes.
In 1985, I made a front page story at the former Gold Ore publication when I happened to be at this place in Asin Barangay where informal settlers had a heated confrontation that almost caused bloodsheds.
It was also my first risky encounter as a newsman because I was chased by men wielding big knives after I have taken a picture of them harassing and driving away fellow squatters.
During the late afternoon mass at the Baguio Cathedral, my reflection of past events again triggered my photographic memory with the psalm response that goes... “The stone rejected by the builders remain as the cornerstone”. It did not only remind me of that saying “a rolling stone gathers no moss but a lot of dirt as well”. Stones also shout to us messages of the past.
On our way home, we saw the extent of road widening slong Naguilian Road near the cemetery and I recall the limestone formations above where I chipped blocks of stone that embeds fossilized mussel, corrals and sea shells.
I wished that I could have dropped by the place much earlier to see if there are still fossils at the place that can further prove that Baguio which is above 5000 feet above sea level is indeed part of ancient sea bottom.